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My Tibetan teacher once told me that:

"The Soto Zen path is the purest but most direct buddhist path...."

"But few people can do it."

The most difficult part of it is that what we need to do is very simple

But that simplicity does not satisfy our perceived egotistical needs

He also explained that The Ngor Sect of the Sakya school was the closest "Wisdom School" to Japanese Soto Zen. My wife Jean was office manager at MZMC when she met Luding Trichen Rinpoche and helped arrange his visit to Zen Center.

After 42 years of practice and living 10 years in Japan, I've come to the conclusion that devotional practice is the best practice for Westerners, especially Americans.

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Hi Lee, thank you so much for your post. I agree that the path is simple but not easy, especially for most of us westerners who are convert Buddhists. I found my simple life in the monastery one of the most fulfilling times of my life. That combined lotsa zazen and devotional practice. The best of both worlds, IMHO. Bows.

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